Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) publicly released the letter he sent to U.S. Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer to remind him that under federal law trade agreements cannot change immigration law. The letter was sent in August as the fourth round of NAFTA negotiations were taking place in Washington, DC.
Under a federal law, which Rep. King wrote, any trade agreements, including NAFTA, cannot change immigration laws or force the U.S. to grant or expand visa access to any countries.
“In 2016, I authored language which prohibits the executive branch from including either immigration or climate change provisions in trade agreement negotiations,” said King. “This language was signed into law by Barack Obama. The Constitution places authority over immigration in the legislative branch, not in the executive. It is important to remind our USTR that Congress is dedicated to the preservation of this language, and that Speaker Ryan and I are in full agreement on the topic.”
The law was signed after it became known that under the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) foreign companies would have been allowed to send unlimited foreign workers into the U.S. to compete with Americans for jobs. It also would have allowed them to transfer foreign employees into the U.S. instead of hiring American workers.
You can view Rep. King’s full letter here.
